Parchment school attorney says district had 'contractual obligation' to John Thompson

John D. Thompson, left, talks with his attorney David G. Butler after sentencing in Judge Pamela Lightvoet's courtroom in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court in December.

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Parchment School District had a contractual obligation to John Thompson, which explains why the school board agreed to pay a settlement in exchange for his resignation despite Thompson's arrest and conviction in a drunken-driving case, said Robert Champion, the district's attorney.

Champion said that Thompson's contract, which runs through June 30 and paid him an annual salary of $79,000, limited the district's options.

"In this situation, he had a contract. He resigned and we fulfilled our contractual obligations and we're done," Champion said.

Asked whether the district needs to rewrite its administrative contracts
to address such situations, Champion denied the contract wording was an
issue.

"How can you fire any employee for something that happened outside of work?" Champion said, adding that the Michigan school code limits the circumstances in which a school employee can be dismissed.

Under the code, educators can lose their teaching certificate if convicted of a misdemeanor that involves endangering children or a felony.

Thompson was initially charged with a felony, fleeing and eluding police, but that was dropped to a misdemeanor, attempting fleeing, in a plea bargain.

It was during spring break last year that Thompson was arrested after a night out with Superintendent Matt Miller at the Richland Village Pub.

After leaving the bar, Thompson led police on a 120-mph chase down
Gull Road, a chase videotaped by police. He was found to have a
blood-alcohol content of 0.25, more than three times the legal limit
for driving.

Last fall, a jury found Thompson guilty of drunken driving,
having an open intoxicant in a vehicle and driving with a high
blood-alcohol content. He also pleaded guilty to attempted fleeing police and reckless driving.

Thompson served a 45-day
jail sentence in December and January as a result of the incident.